Panthers' Cam Newton takes country by storm

Following a wildly successful rookie season, quarterback Cam Newton hopes to lead the Panthers to bigger things in 2012.

If he’s not flying through your television set on "Cam’s Night Out" hawking Under Armour gear or sucking down Gatorade and "Winning the Fifth Quarter," chances are you’ve seen the 23-year-old quarterback featured prominently by the NFL in advertisements for its upcoming preseason games.

He’s featured in the intro to ESPN SportsCenter.

And, if not for Calvin Johnson, he’d be on the cover of Madden NFL 13, too.

In just 15 months Newton has developed into a national celebrity unlike anything the Panthers have seen since they began play in 1995.

Charismatic, built like a Greek god and, above all, incredibly talented, Newton has taken over since being drafted No. 1 overall last year.

All great players for the Panthers over the years, but none has come close to grabbing the national spotlight as Newton has after a record-setting season in which he combined for 35 touchdowns and became the first rookie to throw for more than 4,000 yards.

"We haven’t had a guy who gets this much attention — ever," said offensive tackle Jordan Gross, now in his 10th season with the Panthers.

When asked about Newton’s impact on the Panthers, teammate Charles Johnson laughed and said, "Can’t you tell? Just like when he walked on to the practice field [Sunday] night."

Newton did so to a rock star’s welcome, entering Wofford College’s Gibbs Stadium for the first training camp practice before a fired-up crowd of 12,871. Fans wearing his No. 1 jersey were everywhere, far outnumbering any other member of the team.

It was the largest crowd ever assembled for a single practice in the 18 summers the Panthers have spent in Spartanburg, according to team spokesman Charlie Dayton.

Call it the Cam factor.

And Newton, who has a flare for showmanship, didn’t shy away from attention.

He raced up the field for a 25-yard gain on a play-action fake, veered out of bounds and ran along the inside wall of the stadium pumping his left fist at fans.

They roared with delight.

After practice, Newton had a little fun with fans, pretending first to run to one side of the field and then the other. Every time he changed directions, fans cheered, each side pleading with him to come over to sign autographs.

"He’s become the face of this team," Johnson said. "He’s a monster out on the field. I’m glad he’s on our team."

So are the Panthers.

Not only do they appear to have a legit star quarterback for the first time in 18 seasons, they have an identity.